Don't You Wanna Stay
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: This is a song story, using the duet between Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, and this is Munch/Casey pairing. When Casey comes back, what will Munch do to get her to stay? Or will he do anything at all? COMPLETE
1. When A Goodbye Kiss Feels Like This

This is a song fic to "Don't You Wanna Stay" by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. When I heard this song, I thought their voices fit together perfectly on this song and it's a beautiful tribute to a reluctant goodbye and a possibility of making that goodbye into a new start. And then I thought of SVU. I know Munch/Casey doesn't have a huge fanbase like Elliot and Olivia do, but I think they deserve a few stories. Enjoy!

The moment the squad room doors opened and the beautiful blonde walked through them like she was a regular visitor to the SVU, Detective John Munch knew he was a goner. The face that he hadn't seen except in his dreams assaulted his eyes and it took all of his willpower not to rise from his chair, walk straight over to that woman, take her in his arms and never let her go. And did he mention kissing her? Yeah that was definitely on the agenda.

All he could do in his shocked state was watch his former ADA Casey Novak walk towards Captain Cragen's office. He would have figured she was back for a visit except 1. He knew Casey Novak very well and 2. That look on her face and the way she was dressed screamed that she was a lawyer working on a case. He hoped she had gotten her license back and that there was a slight possibility that she would be working with SVU again.

Later he was at the coffee station when Olivia came up with her mug. He only had to give her a look before she walked up the stairs and Munch quickly followed her. "Casey?" He asked, nearly begging for details. And John Munch wasn't a man who begged very often, if at all.

"She's got her license back and she's working with me and El on our case. She called it her 'test' or something, to see if she can still do her job and do it well." 

"She can. She could before." Munch stated, and Olivia nodded.

"I agree. But I do have to say something," When he raised his eyebrows she continued, saying quietly, "Don't let her go this time."

Munch just closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands as Olivia got up, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder for a brief moment and then walked down the stairs to leave him alone with his tangled thoughts.

_I really hate to let this moment go_

_Touching your skin and your hair falling slow_

_When a goodbye kiss_

_Feels like this_

As he closed his eyes, he could see the last time he had seen Casey. It had been at his place where she had come to say goodbye. She was moving to Philadelphia to regain her confidence as a lawyer and bide her time until she could get her license back.

Before either of them could think a rational thought, John had his hands in her hair and she had her hands on his face, their lips meeting on his doorstep. Somehow they made it to John's bedroom and as their clothes disappeared, John swore he could feel himself falling in love with her.

When he heard Casey getting dressed, he opened his eyes and pulled himself upright. "I've got to go, John, my flight leaves in a few hours," She said quietly, buttoning her shirt. John stood up and walked her to the door, swallowing the words he so desperately wanted to cry out. Words like 'stay' and 'don't leave me' and 'I love you'.

She turned to face him and he put his hand on her cheek, wiping away the lone tear that had been sliding down her pale face. He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers in what he knew was their goodbye kiss.

"Goodbye, John," Casey said in a thick voice and she turned and fled before he could say the words that would make her stay.

"Goodbye Casey," He murmured, watching her until she was out of sight. Out of sight, but most definitely not out of mind. She would remain in his mind and in his heart for months to come, sliding into his dreams and popping up in his thoughts.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_

_Don't you wanna hold each other tight?_

_Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?_

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_

_We could make forever feel this way_

_Don't you wanna stay? _

That night was the standard SVU night out on the bar, and they were all crowded at the same table. All of them had their favorite drink in their hands, except Cragen who was nursing a plain Coke. Occasionally people gave him funny glances for it, but they were stared down by a team of tough-looking cops and said people quickly turned the other way. Olivia, Elliot, Finn and Munch were as protective of their Captain as he was of them.

But that night a blonde walked up to their table and squeezed in between Olivia and Cragen. It was all Munch could do to not to stare at her. She immediately started bantering with Elliot and she had the same drink Olivia had. Pretty soon she and Olivia got up and moved to the dance floor.

"Good God, John, stop drooling and start dancing," Fin muttered to his partner, and Munch immediately tried to fake like he didn't know what Fin was talking about.

"Oh, you know damn well what he's talking about," Cragen said dismissively and Elliot nodded, adding his two cents,

"Get out there and boot Olivia out of your place. Don't screw it up this time,"

"Does everyone at this table know more about my love life than I do?" Munch questioned, feeling like he had been blind-sided.

"Probably. It's always easier giving advice about other relationships than taking it about your own," Cragen said practically, and Elliot nodded his agreement, chugging his beer.

"Why do you think she came back, John?" Fin asked gently, and when Munch started to say,

"Her license – "

"Oh, bullshit. She came back for you, yeah the license is a good cover but she could've done her reinstatement test or whatever it is in Pennsylvania. You were here, that was the whole reason."

"And how would you know that? Did you have a heart-to-heart chat with her?"

"No. She called me before she came. Tried to be casual about quizzing me about your love life. Nearly threatened me if I didn't tell her if you were dating anyone." Fin told him.

Munch suddenly rose to his feet as the feeling of hope burgeoned in him. He headed over to where Olivia and Casey were dancing and when Olivia saw him coming, she quickly stepped over and gave John room to tap on Casey's shoulder just as a slow song came on.

"May I have this dance?"

_Let's take it slow, I don't wanna move too fast  
>I don't wanna just make love, I wanna make love last<em>

_When you're up this high_

_It's a sad goodbye_

Casey gave him the beautiful, blinding smile that he had been craving for months. "You may," She said graciously and he pulled her into his arms. She settled in his embrace comfortably and John closed his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with her, and that he would do anything, anything to keep her with him.

John gently touched her hair and she closed her eyes as they swayed back and forth. "I missed you, Casey," He admitted in a hoarse voice, and she drew back just enough to look up at him and see the look in his eyes.

"I missed you too, John,"

He was content with that for the moment, and they continued their turn around the dance floor. As a loud, fast tempo song came on, John held out his hand. He raised his eyebrows in a silent question and she nodded, taking his hand. They walked out the door and John led her over to the side where patrons coming and going from the bar wouldn't notice them.

"Confession time, Casey," He warned her, and then took her hands, staring straight into her eyes and saying honestly, "I've been going crazy without you, Casey,"

She started to say, "John…" but he cut her off and continued.

"I haven't been able to look at another woman, let alone strike up a relationship with one. They've got nothing on you, Casey, and that's the truth. You may have left New York, but I swear, you still manage to show up in my thoughts and dreams. I can't stop thinking about you."

Again, she started to say "John…" more urgently this time, but he still shook his head and kept talking, needing to get it all out before he lost his nerve.

"I know it's too soon and it's moving too fast and all of that, but you need to know something. You need to know that I love you. Believe me, it's taken all these months and the moment you walked in to the door to wake me up to that fact, but I do. When you strode into the precinct this morning, I was blown away by this feeling in me. I don't do well with feelings, but I know what this one is. It's love. I love you so much, Casey," He broke off, taking a moment to catch his breath and fight back the emotion that threatened to swamp him completely.

"Can I talk now?" She asked, tapping her foot. When he nodded she simply said, "Take me home, John,"

The end…of this chapter! I usually try to leave a good cliff-hanger, but this one is only semi-good. Maybe not even that. Casey could mean take her back to her hotel or back to John's house, which one? Haha yeah it's not even a semi-good cliff hanger. But thank you so much for reading and I'd appreciate your thoughts on what I've written!


	2. I Wanna Make Love Last

The second and final chapter of "Don't You Wanna Stay" has finally arrived! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and just as a fair warning, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Occasionally I'll write something with a sad ending, but not very often. I'm going to keep this AN short and sweet and say that a ring definitely comes into play later. Enjoy!

He barely managed to mask his heartbroken feeling as he just nodded again and pulled out his cell, calling for a cab. When one pulled up he helped her inside and looked at Casey to give the driver the address of the hotel he assumed she was staying at.

Instead she rattled off his address and he looked at her in utter shock. "I meant take me home in every sense of the word, John," She said quietly, amusement dancing in her voice and her eyes. He almost smacked himself on the forehead for missing that one. Casey took his hand and said, "I haven't been able to look at another man, John. I don't know if that's love, but I do know that you've been invading my thoughts and my dreams lately too. Yes, it is moving way too fast, but maybe that's what I like about our relationship,"

The cab pulled up at John's place and as he paid the driver, she got out and waited at the door for him. As he unlocked the door and pushed it open, they were both well aware of the fact that the last time she had stood on those steps he had kissed her and she had told him goodbye. Then she'd run to Philadelphia.

Don't you wanna stay here a little while?

Don't you wanna hold each other tight?

Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?

Don't you wanna stay here a little while?

We could make forever feel this way

Don't you wanna stay?

As they walked into John's living room, Casey took her jacket off, placed it on the sofa and turned to John. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, their lips meeting gently. He reached down and pulled her up in his arms and as he walked to his bedroom, Casey suddenly broke the kiss and he stopped walking.

"What? What is it?" John urged when Casey didn't say anything. She was seemingly struggling to find the right words to say.

"I don't want to just make love, John, I want to make love last. Does that make sense?" Casey said hesitantly, and John nodded firmly.

"Absolutely."

When the morning sun filtered into John's bedroom, Casey awoke to find John still sleeping, his arm draped across her waist. She stared at him for a long moment and that feeling that John had talked about suddenly slammed into her heart. With wide eyes, pale cheeks and an open mouth she realized that she had indeed fallen in love with John Munch.

And she realized that she just might get that happy fairytale ending that she never thought would ever happen to her.

Then the second thought hit her: she hadn't planned on staying in New York City. But how could she leave, now that she'd found the love of her life? It didn't make sense to go back to Philadelphia and leave the man she loved behind. It would hurt her and it would really hurt him and she couldn't do that to him, not again.

She slowly got up but this time instead of pulling her clothes on she grabbed Munch's shirt and pulled it on. Quietly she went into the living room and pulled her laptop and cell phone out. Casey tried to be as quiet as possible as she worked for a good hour until she was finally finished.

John awoke suddenly and glanced around to find Casey was gone, but he saw her clothes were still on the ground. Relief filled him as he sank back down among the pillows, calling out, "Casey?"

"Yes?" She said, walking back into the room, pushing her hair out of her face. He appreciated the view of her wearing just his shirt for a long moment, putting his hands behind his head. "Like what you see?" She asked in a teasing voice, walking over to the bed and leaning down, putting her hands on his bed.

"Maybe," He replied, raising his eyebrows. She crawled onto the bed, a grin on her face. When he reached for her, though, she pulled back and had him raising his eyebrows again.

She crawled back off of the bed and quickly went back into the other room, grabbing a stack of papers and taking them back into the bedroom. John was sitting up, a puzzled look on his face on as she dived back onto the bed, handing the papers to him.

John took them but cupped her face in his hands, giving her a slow and sweet kiss. "Morning," She said with a dreamy smile on her face. He ran his fingers through her hair and stole another kiss before settling back and glancing at the papers

Oh yeah

Oh you feel so perfectly babe

Oh you feel so perfect baby

Don't you wanna stay here a little while?

"What're these?" He asked, and Casey sat back, gesturing for him to read the papers. He read through them, his eyes getting wide as he recognized a bill of sale with her apartment in Philadelphia, and also her letter of resignation for her job at the Philadelphia TV station. She had been an analyst for the news station while she worked to get her license back.

Basically, everything that tied her to Philadelphia was now gone, and she did not have a reason or an obligation to go back. She could stay with him in New York City, and that thought made him an extremely happy man.

"I didn't want to go back. Now since I've got you back, and I don't ever want to let you go, ever again," Casey said quietly, reaching up and touching his cheek gently.

"I won't let you go. I'd made up my mind to go on this rant about how you can't leave me and how I wouldn't let you leave. Are you telling me it was all for nothing?" John said in fake exasperation, and Casey let out a laugh.

"Yes I am. I got up early and managed to severe all my ties with Philadelphia via internet and phone calls. You want to know something really corny?"

He took her hand and looked at him, nodding his head and saying, "Go ahead."

"When I woke up this morning, I glanced over and watched you sleeping for a moment and I was hit with that feeling you talked about yesterday. I thought 'holy crap, I am in love with this conspiracy-loving gorgeous SVU detective, am I lucky or what?'"

John slowly smiled and said, "I love you,"

"I love you too," Casey said simply and John pulled her to him, pressing his mouth to hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close to her.

"I really need to go to work," John murmured regretfully, and Casey nodded, pulling back.

"So I'm guessing you want your shirt back?" She said slyly, slowly unbuttoning the buttons. He swallowed hard as the shirt came off and she held it out for him to take.

"I can be late."

He threw the shirt and it landed back on the floor.

Don't you wanna stay here a little while?

Don't you wanna hold each other tight?

Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?

Don't you wanna stay here a little while?

We could make forever feel this way

Don't you wanna stay?

Both Munch and Casey walked into the precinct a good hour late and she squeezed his hand before going into Cragen's office to discuss how the case was going, legally. Munch went and sat down at his desk, a smile on his face.

"Dear God, is the apocalypse coming? John Munch is smiling," Fin commented, dropping into his own chair.

"Casey's staying in New York," John said, and Fin grinned.

"Good for you, John. Is that why you're late?"

John just shrugged his shoulders as Elliot and Olivia came into the precinct. Olivia went straight over to John and raised her eyebrows. "She's staying." John told Olivia, and she asked,

"Did you tell her?"

"Yeah. And she feels the same."

Olivia laughed and pulled John to his feet, wrapping his arms around his neck for a brief moment before pulling back but keeping her hands on his arm. "Finally! One of my matchmaking tactics worked!" She exclaimed, and as Elliot, John and Fin burst out laughing, Casey walked out, saying playfully,

"Get your hands off my man, Benson,"

"You can have him, Novak," Olivia said with a fake sniff, stepping back. As Casey walked over to him, John decided it was now or never.

"I was going to wait until our date tonight, Case, but I just can't. It's not the ultimate romantic spot to do this, but," He dropped to one knee and pulled a small box out of his pocket. Casey gave a little gasp and put her hands over her mouth. "Casey Ann Novak, will you do me the greatest honor and pleasure of marrying me?" John asked, opening the ring box.

"Oh John, yes of course I will," She said, tears springing to her eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger, wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around before kissing her.

They couldn't have been happier, having each other and being surrounded by their friends who were basically their family.

The end! I know, it got a bit corny at the end (according to my best friend who is currently reading this over my shoulder) but I'm keeping it because like I said, I'm a sucker for a happy ending and I seriously wanted them to get engaged or something. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this little song fic story!


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